A convenience retailer has praised local residents calling them “heroes” after they intervened an attempted break-in at her store in Fife in the early hours of Thursday (March 19).
Police were called to an attempted robbery at Leslie Mini Market on Leslie High Street at around 2.20am on March 19. No cash or goods were stolen, and enquiries are ongoing.
According to local media, the store’s owners, Fatima Hussein and her husband Zahid Hussein were asleep in their flat above the shop when the incident unfolded.
They were alerted by neighbour Euan, who, along with his brother Scott, spotted suspicious activity after their dog began barking. Looking out of their window, the pair saw four masked men attempting to force entry into the store.
The brothers, joined by another neighbour, ran across the road to confront the suspects. In the ensuing struggle, they reportedly prevented the group from gaining access and damaged one of the suspects’ vehicle windows, hindering their escape.
According to Fatima, the suspects, believed to have been travelling in a white car, attempted to flee the scene, during which they allegedly tried to drive at Euan before crashing into a wall and abandoning the vehicle. The group then fled on foot.
Euan sustained injuries during the incident and was taken to hospital, where he was treated for glass wounds to his arm. He has since been discharged.
Speaking after the incident, Fatima told Daily Record, "Our bedroom is at the back of the flat so we couldn't hear anything. By the time we got downstairs, everything was over and the police had been called. Euan's arm was bleeding and he was hurt when I answered the door.
"He said he was fine and the police were there. Everything happened so suddenly. The brothers and a third neighbour, Wayne tried to fight the men off.
"They tried to run over Euan when they were driving away, but luckily Euan moved out the way. I am so grateful to the men. They are my brave heroes."
The couple has been running Leslie Mini Market for over 30 years.
"This community is like family and they have all gathered to help us. They are lovely people who showed their bravery.
"They could've just phoned the police and left it to us but they tried to stop it themselves. We were thinking of retiring and moving away, but this has made me realise how lucky we are to live here," she said, adding that she is not scared to re-open the shop.
Items were stolen with cops still trying to figure out exactly what has been taken.
Just half an hour later, the Premier Store on Auchterderran Road was broken into. The men involved made off in a dark-coloured Audi, last seen fleeing "dangerously" down the A92.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 2.20am on Thursday, 19 March, 2026, we were called to a report of an attempted break-in at a premises in the High Street area of Leslie. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances."